How To Combat (and AVOID!) Altitude Sickness in Bogotá

I was recently chatting with a fellow traveler about her last trip to Bogotá – and she said it was awful. Aghast, I asked her why, and she said it was because she felt ill the entire time. Ahhh I thought, a classic case of altitude sickness in Bogotá.

I too have been hit with “Soroche” (the Spanish word for altitude sickness)  and it ain’t fun. Before we dive into symptoms and ways to care for your altitude sickness in Bogotá – let’s talk about why this happens when coming to Colombia’s Capital. Bogotá sits at 8,660 feet above sea level. As a reference point, Denver sits at 5,280 feet, or 1 mile above sea level and a LOT of people experience altitude sickness when visiting there. So as you can imagine, at over 3,300 feet higher than Denver, Bogotá is UP THERE. 

***This article was written for the purpose of when international travel is safe again in the future. I do not recommend traveling to Colombia at this time due to COVID-19. Please take a moment to watch my IGTV video where I explain why it is not the best time to visit Colombia. Please heed travel warnings and follow all appropriate guidelines and travel restrictions set forth by the Colombian government.

Altitude Sickness Symptoms in Bogotá

Altitude sickness is a disorder caused by being at high altitude, where oxygen levels are low, without gradually getting used to the increase in altitude. At higher elevations, the number of oxygen molecules per breath decreases. (credit: Medical News Today). 

So if you are coming from sea level, you’ll likely suffer from some of the below symptoms in your first few days of being in Bogotá:

• Shortness of breath and or heavy breathing
• Headaches
• Dehydration
• Difficulty falling/staying asleep (lots of tossing and turning!)
• Weakness and or tiredness  
• Loss of appetite

How To Combat (or try your best to AVOID!) Altitude Sickness in Bogotá

1. DRINK A TON OF WATER

This is the absolute best way to help you recover from altitude sickness in Bogotá or avoid it altogether. I live in Bogotá and I drink no less than 3 liters of water per day or I will feel tired, dehydrated, and headachy. That’s even after me living here for over a year! Try to keep hydration top of mind and have a water bottle on you at all times. On your flight to Bogotá make sure you are SLAMMING waters on the plane. This will help you immensely. Sorry in advance to your seat-mate if you have a window seat #sorrynotsorry.

2. REST

I am the first person to encourage walking or biking as the means of getting around and exploring a new city versus by car, but in your first few days, take it easy and don’t kill yourself walking all over creation. Although you should of course get out and stretch your legs and explore by foot, don’t overdo it and limit yourself to only a few hours or so of walking. Take lots of breaks during your exploration for food and drinks and if you want to go anywhere far, get an Uber or Taxi. Let me repeat DON’T OVERDO IT ON DAY ONE!

This brings me to my next point…

3. DON’T DO ANY SERIOUS HIKES OR EXERCISE IN THE FIRST FEW DAYS

There are so many amazing hikes in and around Bogotá, but I strongly suggest you hold off doing any of that in your first few days. You really want to let your body adjust and overworking it will leave you feeling HORRIBLE. If you’re a fitness enthusiast or a hiker, just take a few days off before getting your sweat on.

4. BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU’RE EATING

Soups are a great thing to eat to avoid and help with altitude sickness in Bogotá because they are super hydrating! Yes to hydration. Lucky for you, Colombians are known for their stellar soup making abilities – especially in Bogotá. (Aijaco will add some serious joy to your life!) Apparently, rice, avocados, and potatoes are all good foods to eat when combating altitude sickness and also happen to be staples of Colombian food so you should be all set! Try to avoid foods that are super high in salt (again, we want to stay HYDRATED) so maybe skip the fries, burgers, or pizza. You may be thinking, well I wasn’t planning on eating that in Bogotá anyways, and to that I say – there are some AMAZING burgers in Bogotá so I would actually encourage you to try one (for all my non-vegan friends) while in the city – just get acclimated first 😉 

5. DO👏🏼NOT👏🏼DRINK👏🏼ALCOHOL👏🏼

I know how tempting it is to touch down in a brand new city and want to celebrate. Trust me, I get it! First night in Bogotá wahooo let’s check out the amazing nightlife and have some drankssss. STOP YOURSELF. I can tell you from experience that having that alcoholic drink on night one will negatively impact your days ahead! My partner and I recently came back to Bogotá after several months at sea level in the USA and completely forgot about altitude sickness upon returning home in Bogotá. We cracked open a bottle of wine to celebrate our return, and my goodness was that a mistake! Alcohol is very dehydrating, and since as we discussed in #1, you are going to want to do everything in your power to stay as hydrated as possible. Skip the drink on night one, you’ll thank me later!

6. AVOID TOO MUCH SUN

Since Bogotá is a chillier city (I talk about this in my 20 Things to Know Before Visiting Colombia post) many people are under the impression that the sun won’t affect them – after all, we’re not at the beach! But do not be fooled. You are more likely to burn at higher altitudes because the atmosphere is thinner (25% thinner) meaning there is less atmosphere to block the harmful rays from the sun. Make sure to wear a hat, wear sunscreen, and avoid too much sun exposure. 

I hope this post helps you avoid or at least manage any altitude sickness in Bogotá so that you can have a wonderful time and experience this wonderful city to its highest potential!